Communication Breakdown
by dfcfanfics
Summary: An Akuma is rampaging through Paris, and Plagg is desperate. Ladybug's plan required Adrien and Chat Noir... so Adrien had to do some fast thinking. Now someone else has the ring, and Plagg needs his help to save Adrien, Paris and maybe the world, too. There's just one little problem... Crackfic one-shot.


MiracuCrack #Z12: Communication Breakdown

(Timeline: Whenever.)

* * *

Gasping for breath, Plagg ducked for cover in the dimly lit room, keeping a wary eye on the ceiling lest more of it collapse. The explosions that were rocking the city of Paris followed their own inexplicable patterns, but for the moment they seemed to be getting closer, and despite his being more metaphysical than tangible, Plagg really didn't want to know if they could affect him. These were _magical_ explosions, after all. Plus, humans getting blown up en masse really didn't look good on a Kwami's resume, so he couldn't just sit around or hide.

Besides, destruction was _his_ gig. Havoc was his middle name, or would be if he'd actually been given a middle and last name. Who did this Akumatized guy think he _was_, anyway? When he got his paws on this villain, they were going to have _words._

But bruised feelings and reputations could wait; they _had_ to wait. Right now, Plagg had three jobs; to _stop_ this insanity, to save the day and to save his young friend, and as far as Plagg was concerned they were in no particular order.

And that meant working with... well... _"any port in a storm" was the human phrase for it_, he recalled.

* * *

Questioning eyes stared back at Plagg, full of fear, full of wonder, full of a need to understand.

Plagg took a deep breath. "Pleased to meet ya," he began, hesitantly. "My name is Plagg. I am a Kwami, a spirit of one of the Miraculous that gives it its power. You're probably wondering why I'm here... and I need to be honest with you about that. I have no choice right now. That ring you're holding?"

The person opened his hand, showing off a black ring with a green paw print on its round face.

"_That_ is a Miraculous. When things started going crazy, you came looking for Adrien, and you didn't find him. You tore the place apart, and he just wasn't here. But you _did_ find that ring that Adrien always wears, and when you did, you must've decided to hang onto it until you found him. And that was close enough to saying 'it's mine now' to count as possession and make me appear."

The man looked down at the paw emblem, then at the tiny cat floating in front of him, and Plagg watched his mental gears begin turning in earnest. Plagg watched his eyes go wide as the implication became clear.

"Yeah. Chat Noir. Who Chat Noir is, or was... you understand what I'm telling you, right? Right under your nose this whole time. But we can talk about that later! Right now, I need your help... and so does Adrien."

The Gorilla snapped to attention, immediately, looking extremely alarmed.

* * *

"_He was safe when I left him,"_ Plagg exclaimed, dodging frantically to keep from being plucked out of the air by a huge hand. "It's a _very_ long story. This Akuma that Hawkmoth came up with this time is a _real_ piece of work! Ladybug's plan involved Adrien being Adrien, not Chat Noir, but Chat Noir played a part _too_, so Adrien had to do some really fast thinking, get it? He had to leave the ring behind, and I don't know all the other details. Ladybug comes up with these plans out of nowhere, and sometimes they sound crazy but they _always work_, you've seen that yourself! So I trust her. I have to trust her... so here we are."

As the Gorilla backed down, Plagg breathed a little easier. "But I _need help. _I can only do so much on my own. I work with a host, you get it? Someone uses my power, they become a superhero, they go meet up with Ladybug, they help her save the day. Usually, that's Adrien. And it kind of is this time, too, because he's doing his part out there as himself. But this situation involves Chat Noir, and one of Adrien's friends was supposed to get a message, come here and find the ring and use it tonight. Obviously, he couldn't get here through all the chaos, and you found it first."

"So... he's not here, you are, and those explosions are getting closer and I really don't want to find out what they'll do to us. Do you?" Plagg begged him.

The Gorilla stared out the window for a moment, seeing flashes of bright light in the distance, then turned back to Plagg with a look of determination.

"We need your help," Plagg told the Gorilla, desperation in his eyes. "Paris is in danger. Millions of people are in danger. _Adrien_ is in danger. Someone has to step up and be the one to save him tonight... and, well, I guess that someone has to be _you."_

* * *

Encouraged by the nod of agreement he received, Plagg soldiered on. "First... put on the ring."

Plagg's face contorted as he watched the man compare the small, black ring to a meaty finger... then another finger, then another, then give a furtive glance towards his toes.

"Okay, okay," Plagg said, wearily. "It doesn't have to be ON your body if it just won't fit as-is. You could tuck it in your mouth, maybe, or in your..."

It was hard to say which of them looked more disgusted at the mental images that summoned up.

"NO, I'm not even thinking about that. Euuurgh... We'll try it in a pocket and see if that works," evaded Plagg.

The burly man tucked the ring into a pants pocket, then stuffed his phone and keys on top of it to make sure that it wouldn't come loose by accident. He looked up at Plagg, expectantly.

"Now, to activate it and use my powers... all you have to do is say 'Plagg, claws out,'" the Kwami said.

Silence followed.

"That was 'Plagg, claws out,'" he repeated.

The silence remained.

"Just say 'claws out.' You can do that, right?" begged Plagg.

The Gorilla opened his mouth... then closed it again, sighing despondently.

After a long moment, Plagg ventured, "...I don't suppose that you know how to play Charades?"

* * *

~fin~


End file.
